Rubio slams Knesset bills applying sovereignty to Judea, Samaria

President Donald Trump opposed a bid by the Knesset to apply Israeli sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria, Secretary of State Marco Rubio says, warning the bills voted on could torpedo the fragile Gaza ceasefire.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

The Trump administration on Wednesday warned Israel against applying sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria at this time, arguing that such a step could sink the fragile Gaza ceasefire.

On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with reporters ahead of his trip to Israel, slated for Thursday.

Responding to questions regarding Hamas’ ongoing violations of the peace deal and killings of members of rival clans, Rubio said Hamas’ behavior toward Gazans is “horrifying” but expressed optimism that the multinational International Stabilization Force being formed could help enforce the truce.

“Countries outside the Middle East are prepared to contribute to the international stabilization force,” Rubio said.

When asked about a pair of annexation bills that passed their preliminary votes in the Knesset Wednesday, Rubio warned that the US would oppose any change at this time to the status quo.

“They passed a vote in the Knesset, but the president has made clear that’s not something we’d be supportive of right now,” Rubio said, adding that such a move could jeopardize the administration’s Gaza peace plan.

“We think there’s potential for it to threaten the peace deal,” he said.

Israel is “a democracy, people are going to have their votes, people are going to take these positions, but at this time we think… it might be counterproductive.”

The two bills were submitted by opposition parties, including one pushed by the right-wing Noam faction, which ran on a joint ticket with Otzma Yehudit and the Religious Zionist Party but later bolted the coalition.

The bill, proposed by Noam’s lone MK, Avi Maoz, would extend Israel sovereignty over all Israeli towns in Judea and Samaria. It was narrowly passed in its preliminary vote by a margin of 25 to 24, despite Prime Minister Netanyahu instructing all coalition MKs to vote against the bill.

A second bill, drafted by the Israel Beytenu party, called for a limited application of sovereignty, annexing only the city of Ma’ale Adumim. It passed a preliminary reading by a vote of 32-9.